Man charged with shaking baby to death

A man living illegally in Louisiana is charged with second-degree murder after his girlfriend's 20-month-old boy died of shaken baby syndrome, the Lafourche Sheriff's Office said.

Katie UrbaszewskiStaff Writer

A man living in the U.S. illegally is charged with second-degree murder after his girlfriend’s 20-month-old boy died of shaken baby syndrome, the Lafourche Sheriff’s Office said.Emmanuel Hernandez, 24, a citizen of Mexico, was charged late Tuesday. He was living with his girlfriend and her son at 248 W. 59th St., Cut Off, when the baby was taken to the hospital May 15 for having trouble breathing, Lafourche deputies said.Two days later, the baby, Enmanuel Gonzales, stopped breathing in intensive care at Children’s Hospital of New Orleans, and doctors told the Sheriff’s Office his injuries were consistent with Shaken Baby Syndrome. He died over the weekend when doctors took him off life support.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents determined Hernandez was not in the country legally and detained him, Lafourche deputies said. After Lafourche detectives got a warrant for Hernandez’s arrest, he was transported Tuesday to the Lafourche Parish jail.“At this time, we had probable cause to charge him with second-degree murder, but we cannot release more details because we’re still investigating the incident overall,” spokesman Deputy Brennan Matherne said.He is in the Lafourche jail on a $1 million bond, the Sheriff’s Office said.If convicted, Hernandez will serve life in prison in Louisiana, sheriff’s attorney Mike Jimenez said. If he pleads or is found guilty to a lesser offense, he will serve his time in Louisiana, then U.S. Immigration has the option to deport him. In the meantime, it would be unlikely the terms of his bond — if he could post it — would allow him to leave the state.Jimenez said he will likely notify the Mexican consulate in New Orleans, although that is only required in death penalty cases. Hernandez also has the option to elect not to have Mexico notified that he is charged with a serious crime.“It stems from treaties the U.S. signed with all signature nations: If one of your nationals is arrested for serious crimes, we as the government here will get in touch with the nearest consulate to let you know,” Jimenez said.

Staff Writer Katie Urbaszewski can be reached at 448-7617 or katie.urbaszewski@dailycomet.com.